Confirmed next-gen Apple iPhone seen in person, disassembled - Page 2

This sounds like it's the real deal. The question is if it's a mistake and we will hear of someone from Cupertino jumping out a window (sorry for bad taste) or a leak to keep people from buying other new smartphone that claim higher specs. For me this shows Apple has been learning and listening. Many things seam to show the benefit of iPad development. I did not see talk of the processor, but i would think it would be close to the A4 and that combined with a larger battery could really improve battery life will still boosting performance. Ad the camera improvements and a better case for radio signals it could really be the iPhone Killer. Well the old iPhone killer. That's why Steve wants you to upgrade, so all the old model complaints and issues go away.

Or was it an Apple drop? It is hard to imagine Apple letting people run around with the new model. Even JI or SJ would probably not use one in the wild. Now they have guaranteed page up and page down with free advertising, yet no-one is able to run the thing, so the important element (OS) are still hidden.

Early last year, app trackers did detect the iPhone 3GS around SF area. So it is possible that very few people are allowed to test those devices in the wild. However, I just can't believe that someone with such device would be very careless to lose it! I am not really convince of their story. However, it seems that this is the real deal.

It could be, and this is just a wild guess, that Apple actually field tests these in real world conditions. Labs and controlled external environments will never give you real world conditions.

I think its likely that they do this..but not like this.. they would have put a shell around it like the one seen on the iPad leak in order to protect it in case it gets spotted..
It's the exact same thing they do if they test-drive car-prototypes..they build a custom shell around the actual car so that it looks different..

Hint: Only one side has the [HOME] button, and the controls (volume etc.) are situated on only one side of the device.

One would have to have some serious issue not to know which side was which

Nevertheless, I doubt that Apple would make it more difficult to instantly tell when the device is "right" in your hand.

But maybe they did. If so, I consider that to be a design flaw. It may have its reasons, like price point, but a device which needs inspection to tell "right side/wrong side" seems to me to be a beginner's mistake, and not something that Apple would do.

I find it interesting that no commentors have taken note of the very visible seems on the sides of the device.

Could this mean that something inside is user replaceable... like the battery maybe?

That was mentioned in some of the reports earlier this weekend, and yes, it does seem it is user replaceable. That, really, is the point that makes me think it is either fake or a very early prototype. Overall, I think it is real, but still not sure about that battery.

"My 8th grade math teacher once said: "You can't help it if you're dumb, you are born that way. But stupid is self inflicted."" -Hiro.

Nevertheless, I doubt that Apple would make it more difficult to instantly tell when the device is "right" in your hand.

But maybe they did. If so, I consider that to be a design flaw. It may have its reasons, like price point, but a device which needs inspection to tell "right side/wrong side" seems to me to be a beginner's mistake, and not something that Apple would do.

I think its likely that they do this..but not like this.. they would have put a shell around it like the one seen on the iPad leak in order to protect it in case it gets spotted..
It's the exact same thing they do if they test-drive car-prototypes..they build a custom shell around the actual car so that it looks different..

Which is exactly what the reports have said. That at the time it was found, it was enclosed in a custom iPhone silicone case that made it appear to be a 3GS..except for the extra holes. Unless you had it in you hand and examine it, it looked like any other iPhone.

"My 8th grade math teacher once said: "You can't help it if you're dumb, you are born that way. But stupid is self inflicted."" -Hiro.

This whole thing is playing a rather unbelievable tune. A mystery phone gets lost in a bar, then ends up in the hands of a tech site. Maybe possible, as a good part of the population in that area works for a tech firm of some type or another. But then, rather than return to the owner, who can clearly be identified in this case (Apple), they decide to take it apart.

I'm no legal expert, but I would doubt that finders keepers applys in this case. Therefore these people have pulled apart and potentially damaged a supposed prototype, which is likely worth several billion dollars (an exaggeration no doubt, but you get the point).

So, what is going on? Should this not be considered stolen property at this point? Unless Apple is really up to something.....

Why would Apple want to play into the Droid's masculine aesthetic shtick? Will Steve proudly proclaim that the iPhone is no longer a "beauty queen", at the behest of Motorola's sexist advertising?

Are there any real complaints that the iPhone currently looks feminine? Would Apple really go for a "masculine" look, thereby making the device less appealing to half (or more) of their target demographic?

My guess is that Apple would never release something which looked like this.

I wouldn't have used the word "masculine". I would say it looks more industrial. There, a gender neutral adjective.

On a side note: this phone looks like it was designed to combat the multitude of Android phones coming out and the end of the year WP7 release. Apple is coming out swinging. iPhoneOS 4.0, front facing camera, more storage, camera+flash, very high resolution screen. Awesome.

Apple also changed the back of the device to be completely flat, with a material made either of glass or "shiny plastic," Gizmodo wrote, to improve reception. The handset also has an aluminum border that extends around its outside

I was just thinking about purchasing the TomTom cradle but I'm going to wait a few months.

Am I the only one here that thinks that this is prototype, or whatever it is, is too reminiscent of the ugly candy bar form factor phones of Motorola in the early 2000s. The gaps in the metal siding are very un-Apple like and really create a shotty appearance for the phone. The round buttons move away from the very sleek volume bar they use on the iPod touch, iPhone and iPad and it just looks cheap. I really hope that this is a prototype case to hide the fact that it's the new iPhone. The parts might be real and the screen but I'm really hoping for a more refined case.

Let the paranoid conspiracy theories abound!
Its clearly real and somebody's fucked up.
It's made a buying decision easy for me but I always feel a little sad when these things leak. Steve so loves his reveals.

As I see it, two possibilities:

1. Accidental loss
(by someone who is now a multiple organ donor.)

2. Cupertino's trying some new marketing...leaking the the actual device to create a real buzz (in competition with the current iPad popularity).

Apple has to do something unique to stand out against their own current market excitement (and to inspire people who just purchased iPads to make another purchase.)

Google need not hire industrial espionage agents just use the Apple Rumor sites for their needs. Sad Apple is so betrayed at every turn these days.

You know what? If you don't like the rumor sites, stop reading them. AppleInsider is doing its job reporting rumors, it's a rumor site. They report rumors. They report stories like this.

And there's nothing "sad" about it at all. They're doing a service to the public, and ultimately they're doing a service to Apple as well.

So stop trolling, and go away.

As for this phone, I'm not at all sure I like it. The curved design of the current iPhone is very comfortable to hold, it's been somewhat human engineered. This doesn't look like it will be nearly as nice a phone.

Wow! Those Droid adds have certainly had an effect on a very special sector of the population... I wonder what is wrong with them. What is it with that need to reinforce their "masculinity" at every turn of the road.

The design in the images definitely has a more masculine feel but that is not to say it will appeal more to men, The Droid adds were designed to appeal to "men' - or at least a certain type of man. Something like the iPhone which is beautifully designed and built will appeal across the board regardless whether they are more or less masculine. To think that the Droid phones, and in particular the Droid ads have influenced Apple's design choices is pretty naive.

Doesn't really matter what Apple considers it. If it was truly lost, as in misplaced accidently, then it was, by definition, lost. Once Apple informs the party that currently has it, that it is Apple's property and requests that it be returned, then they can consider it stolen or misappropriated. Of course, that also would confirm it authenticity, so really, it is Apple that has to walk the fine line.

It changed hands though, and Gruber says it's common knowledge that Gizmodo has had it for a week and that they purchased it from the people who found/stole it.

Seems to me it could easily be (officially) "stolen" as opposed to "lost." It depends on who said what to whom and when. Specifically on whether Apple has asked for it back already, on whether they asked for it back form the original "finders" before they sold it to Gizmodo (if that's what they did), etc.

Wow, that an incredible leak. I bet that someone's head was rolled over at Apple for this major fail. Any new job opening listed? That said, the new iPhone looks GREAT. Will be picking one up when its comes out for sure.

You have what looks like an iPhone, that when removed from the case looks like no other iPhone out there. So the first thing you do is video it then TAKE IT APART??????

What kind of morons are working over at Gizmodo anyway?? They've already tried to piss in Apple's Wheaties over Job's medical leave, now this? If it truly was an accidental leave-behind and not a plant, Jason Chen's backside will be sued into next Tuesday for taking apart a device he doesn't own and is reported as missing by Apple (allegedly). Unless it was a def plant and this was all staged to make it look "accidental". That is the only way that Jason Chen is off the hook for being foolish enough to crack the case. While I have seen some rather pathetic stuff ooze out of Gizmodo from time to time, I simply cannot believe Jason is THAT stupid.

So you have a choice I guess. Either a plant for the press to get their grubby little hands on a pre-release model to generate mindshare, and Jason Chen is simply a tool following directions about building awareness/speculation prior to the launch announcement.

OR

It was truly an accidental leave-behind, in which case someone from Apple is getting charred by Jobs for being careless and compromising Apple security around advance device work. Therefore Giz and Jason, are now in receipt of missing (reported stolen?) goods and in a fit of abject idiocy decide to blog it, take the thing apart AND take pictures. Something I would have expected my son to do (for example) when he was like 12 maybe. Not the behaviors of responsible adult journalist types (go with me on this one here). Which, for all my criticism of Giz, just doesn't make sense.

It changed hands though, and Gruber says it's common knowledge that Gizmodo has had it for a week and that they purchased it from the people who found/stole it.

Seems to me it could easily be (officially) "stolen" as opposed to "lost." It depends on who said what to whom and when. Specifically on whether Apple has asked for it back already, on whether they asked for it back form the original "finders" before they sold it to Gizmodo (if that's what they did), etc.

Yes, that is true. That's what I meant when I said that once Apple informs the person/party that has it that it is Apple's property, that have a valid charge. But, until then , it is simply lost. Obviously they could assume it was Apple property. At the same time, they were not even convinced themselves whether it was authentic or a fake, so they couldn't reasonably assume it was Apple's.

Now that they have convinced themselves, they should return it. I still don't think they are under a legal obligation to do so until Apple comes forwards, claims it as theirs and requests it back. Just like if you found my phone...you don't know it's mine until I tell you. You could sleuth and find my info on the phone, but that only tells you it might be mine.

"My 8th grade math teacher once said: "You can't help it if you're dumb, you are born that way. But stupid is self inflicted."" -Hiro.